New altitude world record set by Airbus Perlan glider

Now in its second season of testing in Patagonia, Perlan 2 recently attained an altitude of 32,500, the highest it had flown up to that point. Just a month later it has smashed that number, eclipsing the previous altitude world record of 50,727 feet set by Einar Enevoldsen and the late Steve Fossett in Perlan 1 back in 2006.

As well as attempting to set a new record, the Airbus Perlan Mission II was established to conduct scientific research in the stratosphere away from the interference of combustion engines.

https://www.theengineer.co.uk/airbus-perlan-glider-patagonia/

“We are celebrating an amazing victory for aerospace innovation and scientific discovery today, and we’re so thankful to all the volunteers and sponsors whose years of tireless dedication have made this achievement possible,” said Ed Warnock, CEO of The Perlan Project.

“We will continue to strive for even higher altitudes, and to continue our scientific experiments to explore the mysteries of the stratosphere. We’ve made history, but the learning has just begun.”